Brake-beam.



PATENTED- FEB. 17, 1903 s, A. oRoN-E. BRAKE BEAM. APPLIGTIION FILBDDEO. 18, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

' INVENTOR JeZiivm/zep61/ ATTORNEY BY o UNITED STATES" PATENT FFICE.

SETH A. CRONE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

BRAKE- BEAM.

`l'lllCIIE`1'.(.`}A'J.IO1\T forming part of Letters Patent No. 720,678, dated February 1'7, 1903.

` Appiimioniainecember13,1902. serial 110.135,705. (Nomads.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern,.-

Beit known that I, SETH A. v(Enorm, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York, in the county of lNew York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Brake- Beams, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in brakefbeams; audit consists in the novel features,arrangement,and combinations of parts hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claims. s

In its preferred form the brake-beam of `my invention comprises a rolled beam member having on its ends ythe brake-shoe heads, a truss-rod member passing through apertures in and engaging at its outer ends the outer surfaces of said heads, and a central strut Vadapted to receive the brake-lever and en-y gaging said beam member and said truss-rod member. My invention refers more especially to a novel strut for use in said brakebeams, as hereinafter described; and the ob-V ject of the invention is to produce a more efiicient and desirable brake-beam than those heretofore known.

The invention will be fully n nderstood from the detailed description hereinafter present` ed, reference being had to the accompanying: drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a top view, partly in section, of a brake-beam constrnctedin accordance with and embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional View of same on the dotted line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged View of the central portion of same looking at the outer end of the strut. Fig. 4 is a detached sectional view of a portion of same on the dotted line 4 4 of Fig. 2, Fig. 4being presented to illustrate more clearly the means for fastening the inner end of the strut centrally upon the body-beam. Fig. 5 is au enlarged detached outer end View of the strut; and

' Fig. 6 is an enlarged end view, partly broken away, of the brake-beam.

In the drawings, 10 designates the rolled beam member; 11, the truss-rod l2,the brakeshoe heads, and 13 the central strut, the latter engaging the central portions of said rolled Vbeam member and said truss-rod and having the angularly-disposed corresponding sides 14, between which the usual brake-lever (not shown) is mounted upon a bolt, which will have its bearings in apertures 15, formed in said sides.

The beam 10 is preferably, though not necessarily, a channel-beam, and this beam will be either straight or bowed, as usual, but

preferably bowed, as shown.

VUpon the ends of the beam l0 are applied the brake-shoe heads 12, which present the usual required edge outline and are formed with sockets conforming to the shape of the ends of thebeam 10 and pass upon said ends, as shown in Fig. 1. The heads 12 are also formed with the apertures 16, through which the heads 17,preferably of hook shape, formed on the ends of the truss-rod 11, pass,said heads 17 when the parts of the brake-beam are in position engaging the outer surfaces of said heads 12as shown.

The central strut 13 is preferably in one integral piece and comprises the sleeve 18, to be slipped upon the beam 10; the parallel angularly disposed sides 14, hereiubefore referred to, to receive the brake-lever; the secsleeve 18, and the parallel anges 20, extending outwardly from said sides 14 `to receive at their outer edges the central portion of the truss-rod 11, said anges 2O being disposed at right angles to the line of the beam 10 and truss-rod 11 and preferably having a series of grooves 21 22, into which the central portions of the truss-rod 11 may be forced for the purpose of attaining in said rod the required tension for binding the ends of the latter against the heads 12 and maintaining the parts of the brake-beam in their proper relation to one another. The strut 13, intermediate the parallel flanges 20, is formed with the corrugated or roughened surface 23, to be engaged by the end of a bar or other suitable implement for forcing the central portions of the truss-rod into the grooves 21 or 22, as may be required, the grooves 22 being on a plane outward beyond the grooves 21 and receiving the truss-rod 11 when the proper tension cannot be secured in the latter when said rod is within the said grooves 21.

.tion 19, intermediate said sides 14 and said The sleeve 18 of the central strut conforms l to and is adapted to be slipped upon the beam 10, and said sleeve 18 at one side is formed with a pin or stud 24 to enter a correspondingly-shaped aperture 25, formed in the web of the beam 10, as shown in Fig. 4, and at the other side of the interior of said sleeve 18 is formed a lip or tongue 26, which when straightened out will substantially engage the end of said pin or stud 24, but which when in the defiected or inclined position in which it is shown in Fig. 4 will not engage the pin or stud 24, but allow the sleeve 1S with some freedom to be passed upon the end of the beam 10 and permit the said stud or pin 24 to enter the aperture 25 of said beam, and thereafter the aforesaid lip or tongue 26 will be straightened, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 4, so that it may pass into line with the stud or pin 24 and operate thereby to lock the strut upon the beam 10, the said lip or tongue 26 when straightened out constituting, in effect, a continuation of the said pin or stud 24 and preventing the sleeve 18 from having any sliding motion upon the beam 10.

The sides 1-1 of the central strut are closed at their opposite ends and form a box-like bearing in which the brake-lever may be mounted in an efficient manner, and at the outer end of said sides 11 are formed the lianges 2O and corrugated surface 23, (the latter being preferably on an inclination, as shown in Fig. 2,) hereinbefore referred to.

In assembling the several parts of the brakebeam the central strut 13 and heads 12 will be passed upon the beam 10, and the trussrod will have its ends inserted through the apertures 16 formed in said heads, and thereupon the central portion of the truss-rod will be applied upon the outergrooved end of the said strut 13 for the purpose of securing a proper tension in the parts of the beam and the firm binding of the heads 17 of the trussrod against the outer surfaces of the heads 12. The middle portion of the truss-rod 11 will preparatory to the application of said rod into its operative position be heated, so that the heads 17 thereon may be drawn into engagement with the outer surfaces of the heads 12 by pulling the middle portion of the said rod outwardly to reach a position against the anges 20 of the strut, the middle portion of the truss-rod being caused to enter the grooves or recesses 21 or 22 in said flanges, as may be required, the truss-rod being then allowed to cool, and this cooling of the truss-rod resulting in its contraction and in its being firmly bound against the strut and also at its outer ends against the brake-heads 12. The pull of the middle portion of the truss-rod 11 to reach the recesses or grooves 21 22 may be performed by a bar entered at one end between the truss-rod and the corrugated surfaces 23 of the strut and operated to draw the truss-rod in a direction outwardly from the strut until said rod enters the recesses or grooves in the flanges 20, where said rod will be firmly held on the anges 20. If the truss-rod upon its first application to the strut shall have its central portions seated in the recesses or grooves 2l and it should be found that the rcd is not under sufficient tension, the manufacturer will then force the central portions of said rod from the recesses or grooves 21 and into the recesses or grooves 22, and thereby the said rod will be placed under an increased tension, since the recesses or grooves 22 are set outwardly from the plane of the recesses or grooves 21.

The invention made the subject of this application embraces, as will be understood from the foregoing description, more particularly a novel strut to be used intermediate the body-beam and truss-rod of brake-beams, the strut being equipped with means for fastening it to the body-beam and also with means for enabling the truss-rod to be given an adequate tension in accordance with the conditions that may prevail, said strut being constructed, although in an integral piece, to facilitate the creation of a greater or less tension in the truss-rod.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- l. The brake-beam comprising the beam member 10, the brake-shoe heads on the ends thereof, the truss-rod extending lengthwise of said beam member, and the strut intermediate and engaging the central portions of said beam member and truss-rod, said strut at one end having the sleeve 1S to pass upon said beam and being equipped with the pin or stud 24E and locking lip or tongue 26, while said beam is formed with the aperture 25 to receive said pin or stud; substantially as set forth.

2. The brake-beam comprising the beam member 10, the brake-shoe heads on the ends thereof, the truss-rod extending lengthwise of said beam, and the strutintermediate and engaging the central portions of said beam and truss-rod, said strut having the angularlydisposed sides 14 to receive between them the brake-lever, and, at its outer end, having the grooves'on dierent planes for the reception of the central portion of the truss-rod; substantially as set fort-h.

3. The brake-beam comprising the beam member 10, the brake-shoe heads on the ends thereof, the truss-rod extending lengthwise of said beam and engaging said heads, and the strut intermediate of and engaging the central portions of said beam and rod and adapted to receive the brake-lever, the outer end of said strut being formed with the recessed flanges 2O to receive the truss-rod and with the corrugated surfaces 23 to be engaged by the end of the tool by which said rod may be forced into the recesses of said flanges; substantially as set forth.

4. The brake-beam comprising the beam member 10, the brake-shoe heads on the ends thereof, the truss-rod extending lengthwise of said beam and engaging said heads, and the strut intermediate of and engaging the central portions of said beam and rod and adapted to receive the brake-lever, the outer IOO IIO

end of said strut being formed with a recess York and State of New York, this 17th day of to receive the truss-rod and'with a. surface December, A. D. 1902.

adjacent to said recess to be engaged by the end of the tool by which said rod may be 5 drawn into the said recess; substantially as Witnesses:

set forth. ARTHUR MARION,

Signed at New York, in the county of New CHARLES C. GILL.

SETH A. CRONE. 

